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[Podcast] RR 399: Service Talk 1 – The Service Adviser | Center of the Hub – Customer – Technician – Owner


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The Panel:

Racheal Barraclough, Service Manager at Amton Auto & Truck. She started at Amton July 2010 without a real job title. She had gone from cleaning and answering the phones to being able to run the shop herself. The best part about the job is that it is always changing and there is so much opportunity for her to grow within the company.

Chris Johnson, Service Manager at Total Automotive. He loves bringing customers up to speed on modern vehicle systems and maintenance needs. Explaining the value of premium parts vs cheapest fix, making sure they get their money’s worth is one of the many customer services Chris always carry.

 

Nick Herberger, Service Manager at Scruggs Automotive. Scruggs Automotive Repair has been providing quality car care in Williamsville, NY since 1981. It is a family owned business delivering honest and professional automotive repair and auto maintenance services to the people of Williamsville and surrounding areas. Nick started as a detailer/car wash at Dave Smith Ford before becoming a Flat Rate Tech at Firestone Complete Auto Care. He has experience as a truck tech before becoming the Shop Manager at Scruggs.

 

Key Talking Points:

  • Trust. Never let your priorities change.
    • When the customer greatly appreciates the job you did for them.
  • All service business has an image problem. Trust helps to remove the negative image issue at your shop.
  • Never ‘Think Outloud’
  • Communication is one of the biggest responsibilities. The SA knows they are the hub of the communication wheel: Technician, Customer, Owner.
  • A disadvantage of being a technician who is now a service adviser is you overcomplicate things to the customer.
  • Female service advisors are becoming the norm.
    • The female customers are very comfortable.
    • Owners need to support their female service adviser.   
  • A big hurdle of service advisers is to get the owner to back off and support the SA as the point person.
    • Many legacy customers want to talk to the owner. The owner needs to pass the torch with customers.
  • Curb appeal is so important to attract the right customer.
  • Trusting your technician is critical to a strong relationship. Tech and SA must be on the same page. All recommendations must be real.

 

Resources:

  • Thanks to Racheal Barraclough,  Chris Johnson, and Nick Herberger for their contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
  • Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers.
  • Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.

 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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